A
small piece of school history which may not be
known to many people now, from sometime in the
period 1936,1937 or 1938?

I remember
taking part (with enthusiasm I might add) in
a project to benefit the school as a
whole.

In
those days the ground from the school gates
towards the heads house sloped steadily upwards
to the extent that the turf was level with the
top of the St. Helens Road wall.A project
was undertaken under the supervision of Mr.
Airiss, the groundsman and a labourer helper to
level the
ground.

To
dispose of the soil a trackway was laid to the
far end of the school grounds towards Evelyn
avenue and the back of Tinlings. In that area was
a large deep depression In which was the school
rifle range. [I don't suppose many later pupils
would be aware that the school had such a
range]. I think it was in the purview of
"drugs" Drewry the chemistry master who
when recalled to the colours he turned up on
leave as an army colonel .

So
hoppers were filled and pushed along the trackway
circumventing the cricket square .A number of we
keen soccer players gave up many a lunchtime to
use pick and shovel to load these hoppers and
push them to the rifle
range.

Eventually
the project was finished and to coin a phrase the
school now had a level playing field for
school soccer
matches.

I don't
claim any high faluting motivation for making
these efforts but the inner satisfaction of
having done something worthwhile stayed with us
for a long long time.